A Boy and His Mary
by Aquarius Angel
Summary: Rory sighed, "I'm late can you please just tell me the news?" "You are potentially getting sued for defamation," Madeline said quickly.
1. Friday

**A.N.**: I've been debating author's notes, should they go at the beginning or the end? I always read them because well I'm an author and use author notes to connect with my audience and better help them understand my creative thought process, okay so that is b.s. I use them like everyone else to state my thanks and all the problems with the story so far, etc, etc, and so forth.

Anyway on with the actual **A.N.** this story started with a scene, then a picture, and then me screaming what about the end…for a week, and then I wrote it 14 pages in 24 hours (would have been faster but I had somewhere to go) …and then I screamed that doesn't make since for a day…and then the remaining eight pages just flowed out. So in summery the entire story is written, this short part is being posted to drive you nuts. What do you think about A.N. now?

Enjoy!

* * *

**Friday**

Rory sighed as she dug through her purse for her cell phone and attempted to walk into the country club simultaneously. "Hello, Rory Gilmore." She answered without looking at the caller id.

"Rory wonderful, so glad I caught you before dinner." Madeline said just a bit too excitedly.

"What's wrong Madeline?" Rory asked pausing in the front of the country club dining room. She was late and her grandparents were waiting at a table Richard talking to a couple next to them and Emily obviously annoyed.

"How do you know something is wrong? I could be calling with good news or to give you an update on sale numbers."

"Madeline you have been my literary agent for three years and friend for longer. You know it is Friday night and I have dinner with my grandparents. Also your voice goes about three octaves higher when you have bad news only two when it is good news."

"It does not," The agent said defensively.

Rory sighed, "I'm late can you please just tell me the news?"

"You are potentially getting sued for defamation," Madeline said quickly.

"What?"

"Well nothing is final yet but Colin contacted me trying to get some background information…"

Rory cut her off, "Okay does this need to be addressed immediately? Should I not go into dinner?"

"Oh no, no, go to dinner. Colin set up a meeting for Monday morning to meet with the other lawyer to see if there is any grounds, etc."

"Okay, so Monday morning?"

"I don't think you have to be there, but it will be at the Hartford office and seeing as you are already in town I am sure it will help your case if you can quickly give details and what not."

"Great, looking forward to it," Rory said with a roll of her eyes.

"It will be fine, have fun at dinner." Without a more definite goodbye Madeline hung up and left Rory to her dinner.

Rory looked at her phone and turned it to vibrate, one bad call always lead to more so no use turning it off. She took a deep breath, straighten her dress and walked into the dining hall.

Her grandparents spotted her immediately both standing to give her hugs.

"Rory dear so glad you could make it," Emily said with more than a hint of disapproval.

"Sorry I'm late grandma, I just received an emergency phone call about work. I will probably have another before dinner arrives," Rory said as she hugged her grandfather and took a seat. Her grandmother looked disapprovingly but her grandfather nodded in understanding.

"Are you going to have to leave earlier than Sunday morning?" Richard asked in curiosity.

"No, not that kind of emergency, something I wrote is being challenged and the editors want to make sure my sources were accurate. I will actually need to stay until Monday," Rory lied.

"Oh good your mother can't be mad that we stole your evening then if she will still have you tomorrow," Emily said with a happy smile.

"She wanted to come but Sookie was home with sick kids and Luke was filling in at the inn so mom had to help at the dinner. Well it was actually a typical crazy zoo when I stopped in this afternoon."

"We understand Rory, plus Lorelai, Luke and the kids are going to be joining us at the vineyard next weekend," Richard said genuinely seeming excited about the trip.

"That will be fun," Rory said mentally laughing at Luke back at Martha's Vineyards.

The waiter came and took their orders. Rory was told that the reason they couldn't have dinner at the Gilmore house was because Emily was redecorating and refused to eat were chemical smells over powered the meal. Before the dinner was served Rory's phone buzzed.

"Sorry but this is the call I was expecting, if you will excuse me." Rory walked back out to the entry way.

"Hello."

"Love, thank God I reached you. Maddie call you? Who am I kidding of course she called you, great. On a scale of one to fourteen how worried are we? I mean financially this could be hit, publically a disaster. So give me a rating.

"Seven."

"Seven? Really a seven? I was thinking more of five but then my scale was one to ten. So you must agree to the two previous stated dangers? Great how are we going to fix this?"

"By using the truth."

"Truth? Really the truth? I was thinking about cutting our loses and letting the loser win, but then again the truth might work better in our favor…"

"Phineas!"

"Yes love?"

"It's Friday."

"So…oh it's Friday and you are in Hartford, say high to Richard and Emily for me. I will see you at Colin's office Monday morning."

"You are coming?"

"I just boarded the plane. See you soon."

Rory sighed a sigh of relief. Having Finn there to back her would make dealing with Colin and whoever was claiming character slander much easier. Rory decided to leave her phone on vibrate, even though no one else should call she didn't want to miss Colin if he needed help or Finn again. The Ausie would just resort to calling her grandmother's phone if she didn't answer. She again straightened her dress and went back to her seat into the dining room, thankfully the food had arrived.


	2. Monday

**Monday**

"Okay I come baring breakfast," Rory shouted as she entered the office of her lawyer, who just happened to be her friend Colin McCrea. "Coffee and doughnuts for Finn and Rory and water and granola for Grandpa McCrea." Rory's hands were so full that she started handing out the morning treats before looking around the room. Finn quickly took a coffee cup, leaving three in the tray for Rory and later, and when Colin failed to take the water she noticed that Colin was not physically in the room but rather on a computer screen.

"I hate it when you call me that, Reporter Girl."

"Colin why are you skypeing into your own meeting?" Rory asked while looking confused between the screen and the water in her hands. What was she suppose to do with a bottle of water?

"I'm on vacation in Australia supposedly to visit one of my best friends," Colin said with an evil glare towards Finn.

Rory looked over at Finn who was in the process of eating a doughnut. He at least looked sheepish as he mumbled, "I forgot it seemed like a crisis."

Colin rolled his eyes and prepared for an argument when they were interrupted by a clearing of a throat and Rory finally noticed a second actual man in the room.

"If Colin does not mind I will take his breakfast and both of you need to remember we have been through this argument already this morning. Finn is an idiot with a one track mind, Colin you are perfectly fine on vacation until he returns. Now I am assuming Rory Gilmore is this reporter girl you both have been referencing?" The two friends nodded, Rory couldn't take her eyes off the blonde standing in front of her. "Since she has managed to grace us with her presence can we get down to the reason we are here?"

That last statement reached through Rory's shocked and speechless state of mind. She handed him the water bottle and turned off Colin's screen. "Finn take a walk."

"What love, you heard him we are going to get down…"

"Leave now Phineas!" Rory still hadn't taken her eyes off the man in front of her but was able to get Finn to leave the room with her authoritative tone. He was gone without another word taking another coffee with him. When she heard the door close she mentally squared her shoulders. "Whatever you have to say to me you should say to me Tristan not my friends. We never needed people between us before so why are you doing it now?"

Tristan was upset. He was filling in for Colin because he owed McCrea a favor, an easy favor. Colin swore this would be an easy case, because there were no grounds for the defamation and the writer was easy on the eyes. Tristan should have asked for more details. Reporter Girl was enough on Friday, on Sunday when Finn showed up at his house doll and love was efficient and neither of which had him thinking Mary would walk into the office. Until he saw that the law suit was against a Victoria Leigh did he realize who he was going to be defending.

Tristan gestured towards a seat but Rory didn't sit, so neither did he, he continued to stand behind Colin's desk while Rory stood in front of him ready to fight. She was always ready to fight with him.

"If you want to sue me fine, sue me, but why didn't you just call, write a letter, send an e-mail, show up at the country club, ask Paris she always seems to know where I am at. Why did you have to go through all the hoops?"

Tristan was shocked she thought he was suing her. "I'm not the one suing you Mar, Colin just asked me to fill in." He spoke without thinking, his voice surprisingly calm after Rory's defensive and simultaneous aggressive words. Even his facial expression calmed with the realization that she was starting a battle that he, once again, did not start but was just a semi-innocent bystander.

Rory was not so easily calmed, a fact of her persona Tristan was not surprised to not have changed in the twelve years since he meet her. "You are not suing me?"

"No, it turns out I am the one defending you."

"Oh." She didn't apologize but did fall into the seat he originally gestured her to sit in. Tristan was left wishing again he had asked more questions about this case before agreeing to taking it over.

A knock was heard on the door as it slightly opened. "Is it safe for me to enter love, because Colin's secretaries are ready to kick me out of the building if I don't stop doing my reenactment of the Passion of the Christ. They do not see the humor, remember how it made you laugh? Oh the glory days."

Rory looked up to see Tristan's reaction to her Ausie friend, he only raised an eyebrow and gave her a slight smirk. She was left wondering what part of Finn's speech he was nonverbally questioning.

She sighed, a habit that did not bother her until this law suit can up, "Finn get in here it would seem that Mr. Dugray needs to prepare to defend our books."

Tristan motioned for Finn to sit next to Rory, and he took, well Colin's seat, and leafed through the folder that Colin had his assistant prepare for him but he had not had the chance to more than glance at between Finn and Rory storming into his, well Colin's, office.

Seeing as Tristan was not planning on adding to the immediate conversation Rory nervously continued, "I would assume, don't say anything Phineas, since Madeline called me and Finn, the law suit has to do the book series we write together, my other works Finn does not have much to do with," Rory said finally eating her own doughnuts and getting more coffee into her morning fogged brain, a brain that was further fogged by the presence of Tristan Dugray.

"Madeline?" Tristan asked still flipping through the folder.

"Madeline Lynn, our literary agent," Finn said from his seat, rather calmer now that they were talking business.

"From Chilton?" Tristan questioned looking up at Rory.

"That's it, you two know each other from Chilton, no wonder Paris said not to mention anything about names until you two meet face to face."

"You called Paris?" Rory asked.

Finn tried to give her an embarrassed look. "I was bored when I landed Saturday night."

"So you called Paris?" Tristan now asked.

"What mate, she is always up and some people were with the gorgeous Lorelai," Finn responded finding his finger nails rather appealing than the stares from the other two people in the room.

"Ugh, I surprised she didn't call me already," Rory said slouching in her chair and closing her eyes in exasperation.

Tristan took the moment to eat some of the healthy breakfast Rory brought in for Colin and gave himself a few minutes to gather his thoughts and figure out where they needed to go from this point forward.

"So Tristan now that you know who or rather whom Victoria Leigh is, what do you need from us to make this silly little law suit go away?" Finn asked in the most serious voice he could muster for the occasion.

"Why don't we start at the beginning and form a time line of events." Tristan suggests grabbing his legal pad out of his bag and prepared to take notes.

"Well, love its' your story to tell," Finn said leaning back in his chair.

Rory sighed and closed her eyes remembering back to the first meeting she had with Madeline. "I was home on holiday for the first time in a year and I had these ideas floating around my head and I off handedly mentioned to Paris about writing a book. She told me Madeline was working as a literary agent and was trying to build her author load. I set up an appointment with her in New York hours before I needed to fly out. She was late, I remember just sitting there and thinking how Mad was always behind and stealing notes to catch up it made me smile, and that's when she walked in ranting. And I mean ranting, Paris style." She chanced a look at Tristan and found that he had written notes but was also smiling at what she hoped were fund memories of high school. "Well she was ranting about how her publishers wanted a new young adult series coming off of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchisees."

"You write paranormal romance?" Tristan interrupted appalled at the idea of Chilton's valedictorian writing borderline literature.

"No, God no. Though we totally could, love. It would be prefect Vampires in Australia," Finn said with a sigh.

"I wasn't there to pitch young adult novels, I was looking more towards non-fiction. But anyway, I let Madeline rant listening to her for about ten minutes go on about how ten years ago no one wanted young adult books and now not only do they want young adult but they have to have romance, but not to much, and vampires, but not killer vamps. It was quite entertaining, except I had a plane to catch. So I calmed her down and then we discussed my book ideas, worked out how my ideas might appeal to publishers better, and I left with a plan to have a rough draft of a novel to send to her with in the month. It was a good meeting, but what I ended up writing was not what we discussed."

"So how did you go from non-fiction to fiction? Is that where Finn comes in?" Tristan asked.

"No, it was the plane ride. I was heading back to France. I was working there for this small international paper. Long flight. I started working on the ideas I pitched to Madeline, but I ended up writing an outline for a four book series following four girls throughout their junior year with an opening to write another set for their senior year." Rory glanced up to see Tristan's reaction, he was looking at her with a smirk and she knew that he knew who those four girls were based on, Finn was thankfully quiet. "And then I start on the third girl's story."

"Why did you start with the third girl?" Tristan asked while looking down at his notes.

"It was the easiest and most familiar," Rory answered quietly avoiding all eye contact and grabbing the last cup of coffee from the tray she brought in with her. "Anyway when then plane landed I had an outline of four novels and a rough draft of a novel, stories that I did not even realize were in me to write."

"This is my favorite part," Finn said smiling from next to her.

"Ugh, well I landed in Paris and as I walked out of the gate I hear."

"Excuse me, Have we met before?" Finn said winking at Rory.

"You were not that polite and you were screaming it from across the airport. I thought security was going to arrest you," Rory said with an eye roll.

"What were you doing in the Paris airport, Mr. Morgan?" Tristan asked seriously confused by their by-play with words.

"I was kicked out of Australia," Finn said proudly.

"You were not kicked out, your mom told you to leave her house until you could sober up," Rory said exasperatedly. "Anyway I got the short end of the stick, because Colin was working a major case, Stephanie was pregnant, and Logan claimed to be working in South America."

"So Paris it was. We went to the airport bar for drinks, she started telling me about the book series she came up with on the flight and we started flushing out more of the details taking from both of our shared experiences of private school life. It wasn't until I read what she had written for the third book that I realized it was about her time in high school. I just thought she was pulling from general knowledge," Finn said seriously and honestly.

"What made you realize her story was more than just another typical Sweet Valley High book?"

"Hey I do not write Sweet Valley High!"

"It's okay love, he does not mean the books he means the generic outlines of the plots of those books."

"The fact that both of you know Sweet Valley High and how they are written worries me."

"I do have a minor in classic literature," Finn said defensively. "I have no idea what his excuse is."

Tristan refused to answer, "The original question Finn?"

"It was the rawness of her writing. Now it was just a rough forty pages of main ideas with a few conversations, but only someone who lived through the experience could write the emotions of a seventeen old girls first relationship and the trials of switching schools. People like us," Finn gestured towards Tristan, "understand how the schools work, how society works, it's ingrained in us from the crib. People like Rory, well they get hurt because they don't know how to shield their emotions. The third book in the series is what will and ultimately did if book sales this month are any proof makes the Plaids more than socialites wooing over their rich kid problems. Way better than Gossip Girl."

Rory couldn't look at either of the men in the room. Finn's view of her writing and her experiences were honest and Tristan knew this from firsthand experience having been a part of her first years of Chilton. When her and Finn had been sitting in the bar and he started giving her advice on parts of the novels it wasn't until she handed over what she had drafted out for the third girl that she truly realized what she was writing. She was writing the high school years of Louise, Madeline, Paris, and herself. It was at times fictional but mostly it was autobiographical. Like she said stories she never knew she could or would write.

"How much time passed from the airport to Madeline's desk?" Tristan asked trying to get them back on track.

Finn looked towards Rory, she just shrugged her shoulders. "We sent Madeline an e-mail before we left the bar," Finn answered for them.

Tristan looked at Rory questioning knowing there had to be more to the story.

Rory sighed and she grabbed her bag from the floor. "I told Madeline the truth. 'Attached is an outline for a book series called the Plaids, four books with a possibility of more. If she agreed and could get Louise and Paris to agree to allowing me, with the help of Finn Morgan, to write their stories I could have the first book to her within a month.' The e-mail was simple." She handed Tristan a copy of the e-mail she had printed. "Paris called me at three in the morning Boston time, she was torn between anger and gladness. She was rather upset that I came up with the idea and that Finn was going to help me write it and not herself. Then she said that no first-rate journalist would associate themselves with young adult novels so I better have a good pen name. Louise sent me a short e-mail saying, whatever additional info I needed to just let her know. Obvious names were changed and most of the secondary characters were altered for fictional purposes, Finn was good at helping me make everyone seem relatable while also being socialites."

Tristan looked over his notes, "How many of the books have been published?"

"The third one was released at the beginning of the month," Finn said proudly.

"Does anyone know what Victoria Leigh looks like?"

"Um no, Paris was very adamant about keeping my face off the books. She says I need to succeed at journalism so she can live vicariously though me," Rory said sheepishly.

Tristan smirked, "She tells me the same thing about me being the best lawyer in all of the east coast, don't tell Colin," he said with a wink.

"I offered my pretty face, but something about men writing chick books doesn't work," Finn said disappointedly. "We need more coffee, do you think the secretaries will let me sneak by?" He was out the door before either could answer.

"He's going to get kicked out. Security was called last time he was here and Colin was not happy," Rory said calmly.

"He showed up at my front door yesterday at seven," Tristan said leafing through the folder yet again.

"A.M.?"

"Yes."

"Oh sorry, he usually isn't usually up before noon. But he has this thing about money, well other people's money, never his own." Tristan looked at her confused with her rambling. "He's a stock broker, most of the time, he loves getting other people money, and well this law suit has him worried about my money."

"I thought Finn just said he had a literature degree?"

"Oh he does, along with a slew of others. He also loves degrees, not school, heaven forbid he actually goes to a class, but he collects degrees like they are Pokémon cards."

"How…I don't think I want to know."

"Well I'm sorry he showed up so early."

"Why are you apologizing for him? They are his actions," Tristan asked realizing that ever since meeting Rory she has always apologized for everything, including other people.

"He's my friend and well it takes a lot to understand him. It took me two years to realize that he just has tons of energy towards everything he loves. He also loves looking for new things to love. It really is quite exhausting, it's why his friends take turns entertaining him."

"Love, I found this hazelnut coffee for us to try, Tristan I got you one too, because seriously you need some caffeine in your life. Never met a more boring twenty-eight year old."

"Finn you are being rude."

"Pish, Tris and I have known each other since diapers," Finn said grabbing the folder from the desk.

"What?" Rory said shocked, Tristan just gave her a knowing smirk. He knew Finn, so why did he question her friendship. "He never told you he was working on the Plaids?"

"He told me he was working on a book series with a girl from college, he just never got around to telling me her name. I really do think he forgets meeting you," Tristan said comically.

"So Mr. lawyer how are we going to handle this law suits? Reporter Girl has to head out to Egypt and I have a friend waiting at home."

"I set up an appointment with Mark Davis's lawyer. It's a preliminary meeting to see if there are grounds for a court date or if we should settle out of court. Colin felt like this could all be taken care of today and having heard you story I concur, unless either of you know a Mark Davis."

They both shook their heads in a negative.

"Finn you are going to go in with me to the meeting and we will keep Rory here in case he is a Chilton-night. We will lose the case if you recognize each other."

"What if he recognizes you Tristan "King of Chilton" Dugray?"

Tristan smirked at the memory, while Finn made a few mental connections between Tristan and Rory. "If he recognizes me then we will know there is a possibility of him being referenced in the novels and will have a better idea of how to proceed." Tristan picked up the folder and his legal pad of notes and motioned Finn towards the door.

Rory umphed and took her computer out to get some work done while they were at the meeting without her.

* * *

"I've sent you a copy of the books, what are you playing at?" Finn asked.

"I haven't had time to read them all. I skimmed a few pages but I do have a successful law firm to work my way up in. It's not like I just expect my grandfather to hand it over to me in a few years without proving to him I can win cases and bring in influential clients."

"Pish Jalene loves you," Finn said off handedly.

"Do me a favor and act like a lawyer's assistant in the meeting," Tristan asked as they walked into the meeting room. Tristan trusted his first impressions and this meeting was going to be no different. Sitting across from him was a successful attorney named Mr. Briggs. He was a well known personal attorney of many of the Hartford families, well those families that the Dugray-McCrea firm did not cover. Sitting next to Mr. Briggs was a boy that could be not older than seventeen.

"Mr. Briggs I am sorry you had to wait. I was waiting for my client to call with some additional information. Now defamation is serious in the circles we represent, so I would like to be one hundred percent positive that there is a case before this law suit gets tied up in the courts."

"I was having similar thoughts Mr. Dugray. My client Mr. Davis claims that the writer Ms. Victoria Leigh has used his likeness in her latest novel Plaids: The New Girl."

"Yes the book was published earlier this month. What character does Mr. Davis claim to share personal traits with?"

The young man sitting next to the lawyer spoke up with conviction, "The stupid bible boy character, Darien."

Tristan had been a lawyer for only a few years but he had been a socialite his entire life he could control his facial features with the best house wives and poker players. However he was still working on his emotions. Finn glanced his way and discreetly pointed down to his paper where he had written 'time-line'.

"Mr. Davis if you don't mind me asking how old are you?" Tristan asked as calmly as he could given the man's accusations.

"Seventeen."

"Junior or Senior year at your private school. I am assuming you go to a private school."

"I just finished my Junior year."

Tristan shook his head in understanding and paused for a moment. When he continued he was a bit calmer. "Paris here is my assistant and it has been his job to read and know everything there is to know about my client's book series. Now I believe the character Darien, or bible boy, as been at least briefly referenced or made appearances in the first two books of the series."

Finn, also known as Paris, responded with an affirmative nod. "Darien is the unofficial head of the student body, where he goes others follow. His character plays many roles in the first two books, including setting up the Lauren character up with his best friend."

"What does this have to do with my clients claim to slander?" Mr. Briggs questioned.

"On what grounds does Mr. Davis feel like a fictional character is based off of him?" Tristan asked calmly using his best I know how to beat your client's claim but you won't see it coming voice.

"That bitch Abigail wrote the books in retaliation for me labeling her a Mary," Mark responded obviously losing his temper.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at his fellow attorney if this Abigail was indeed his client then Mr. Brigg's client just burned a bridge and both lawyers knew it.

"Do we need to take a break?" Tristan offered. Briggs looked at his client and then mumbled a no. "Good. Paris when was the first book published?"

"Early 2010."

"Including time for writing, editing, and publishing that pushes the original writing time frame to fall 2009 at the earliest. When Mr. Davis was just starting high school."

"That proves nothing," The unruly youth claimed.

Tristan was having none of the young man's temper. "Do you think that your school is the only one with Mary's? I have known schools who have Mary's, Juliet's, Guinevere's, and even more that are not so literate. You my boy are not the first to not get his Mary and will most definitely will not be the last. However that is not my client's fault." With that Tristan closed his file. "There is no case, my client does not know yours and the book series was well in existents before Mr. Davis's claim and rejection by a Mary."

"I am inclined to agree Mr. Dugray."

"Good, a pleasure Mr. Briggs."

The two lawyers shook hands, but Mr. Davis was not so happy.

"If you won't sue the bitch I will find an attorney who will," Mark said with a stamp of foot.

"Mr. Davis, have you even read the book?" Tristan asked the boy who just stared at the man in front of him. "If you would have read the Plaid series you would see that Ms. Leigh portrays the stupid bible boy character in the best possible light, because no high school boy ever comes out shinning as much as she writes Darien too. She sees past the façade he shows the socialites and sees his true self underneath. He's not a bad character who you should be mad about being compared too, but someone who you should inspire to be." With that he gestured for Finn to leave and lead the way back to Colin's office.

"Next time we are meeting in my office," Tristan said with a sigh as he stood outside the door that said McCrea.

"I'm going to go find us some celebratory lunch," Finn said a bit to calmly as he walked towards the elevators.

Tristan shot Finn an angry glare as he was left to deal with the one and only Rory Gilmore, his Mary. He opened the door and was slightly surprised to see her asleep on the couch, she woke with the closing of the door, even though he did close it as quietly as possible.

"Meeting over, did we win or am I going to have to pay out?" Rory asked sleepily.

"I was up at six this morning running. Why are you so tired?"

Rory stretched and sat up on the couch, "Mom has this crazy idea that if I stay up all night and sleep on the plane I will not have jetlag."

"That does not make any sense."

"Do you remember meeting my mother?"

"I remember watching her run down the Chilton halls in cowboy boots."

"Well that sums up Lorelai Gilmore. So how did the meeting go?"

"Good, you don't know a Mark Davis, unless you have another writing partner named Abigail?"

"No Abigails just a Finn. He's all the writing partner I can take. So what character was he claiming to have based on his own charming personality?"

"Bible boy," Tristan said as he took a seat across from the couch that Rory was sitting in. Rory's mouth formed an oh but no sound came out. "The character that is based off of me," He claimed seriously.

"Yeah," she answered quietly not daring to look him in the eyes.

Tristan sighed and decided to come clean, "I've read the book Mary, I didn't know it was by you, but I had a feeling. I prefer your non-fiction, but the Plaids are good. Well you know that already this last book made the New York Times Best-seller list."

"You've read my non-fiction?" Tristan nodded but did not say more, "I should have called you, but I thought you would just laugh and well like Finn said it was pretty raw. Especially that first draft. We toned it down some, making it a bit more well generic and relatable."

Tristan laughed quietly.

"And he laughs anyway." Rory went to stand up but Tristan stopped her with a gentle hand on her knee.

"I've been so jealous and it's funny because I'm jealous of character that is based off myself. I knew with reading the first one, that Darien was me. But when that client claimed that the "stupid bible boy, Darien" to be him I wanted to punch his lights out. The same way I wanted to punch your first boy-friend and Finn when he showed up in office after I finally put the entire law suit together. How you portrayed me was beautiful."

"You were still a jerk," Rory said quietly.

"But you saw more, I just wish we could have both seen the real me back then, maybe you would have gone to the P.J. Harvey concert with me," Tristan said with a smile.

"Rachel doesn't go with Darien to the concert," Rory said defensively.

"But she doesn't get back together with bag-boy either. I have hope for them in the book four."

Rory smiled up at them, "Why would I put another couples romance is some else's story?"

"Because you are a romantic and in what fictional world would a boy not get his Mary?" Rory rolled her eyes at his cheesy comment. "I do have one question for you as a writer though," Rory didn't respond just sat back and waited for whatever question he could come up. "Were you really wearing purple underwear the night of Madeline's party?"

* * *

**A.N.** Like I said the story is already written. This is where the story was going to originally end but well I just couldn't so…


	3. The rest of the week

**Tuesday**

Rory had landed in Cairo early in the morning and was able to catch a brief refreshing nap before she was expected to check in with her home base in Paris and then hit the streets. Her phone call to Paris gave her some basic info on what her editors were looking for in regards to what she should be reporting on and surprisingly that she should keep close to the NBC reporters since they were their sister company, well more like matriarch and distance niece but who was really keeping count. Being from a smaller publisher meant Rory had little funds for luxuries she was only allotted so many internet and phone minutes, so she quickly checked her e-mail before starting her day.

From: tdugray

To:

Subject: Request

Send: Monday, 10:07 PM

Mary,

I would like to read the first draft of the 'The New Girl.'

Tristan aka 'the original Bible Boy

Rory smiled. Finn had entered Colin's office before she could answer his smart question and she had to leave without finishing all of her hamburger to catch her flight. She fleetingly thought her reunion with one Tristan Dugray was over, though she knew deep down that now that they have been reunited that they would continue to cross paths. She sent him the file that she kept with her always, before shutting down her computer and hitting the revolutionary streets of Egypt's capital.

**Wednesday**

"Gilmore you are going on air tonight!" A news producer shouted from the NBC van.

Rory had been following her editor's orders from the previous day, she was not able to make a call or get on-line due to restrictions and the instability of her surroundings. In fact she wasn't even able to make it back into her hotel room until just four hours ago.

"I don't broadcast," Rory said seriously.

"Well you are tonight, or rather this morning. Nightly News airs at 6:30 New York so that is…"

"Midnight," Rory filled in for the distracted producer.

"That sounds about right. Be ready."

"Where's Engel?" Rory asked wondering where the NBC's chief foreign correspondent ran off too.

"Hospital, he had a cut that was not looking to good. Might have to send him home. His misfortune is your lucky break."

Rory sighed knowing that the producer would not understand how she didn't want a lucky break if it meant being on the national news. "Do you have internet or a phone I need to let my mother know of my lucky break?" Well she might as well make the most of the advantageous event.

"Young reporters, always wanting to prove something," the producer mumbled as he handed over a phone. "You can send texts too."

Rory sent out a quick text to her mom, Lane, Luke, her dad and her grandparents. They would spread the word.

"Okay everyone that gives us four hours to have a good but brief story for Williams."

The crew gathered around the producer, clips and what Rory would say was quickly mapped out. Rory was able to shoot a couple scenes of her interviewing protesters and write a briefing of her twenty four hours of venturing around the capital. The producer kept an eye on her but had little say in regards to her journalistic style and gathered information. An hour before the scheduled shooting Rory was prepped with some make up and lighting was checked. They did a quick rehearsal to make sure they could get their entire piece into the time slot.

And then the producer was on the phone, a video feed to the Nightly News was on a screen in front of her, and the camera man was making a count down to when she would be on air.

"Tonight we have a report from Egypt being brought to us from Rory Gilmore who works for a NBC sister company. Rory what is it like in Cairo this evening?"

"Mr. Williams the streets are empty as the revolt continues in the city square. Earlier today citizens marched the streets in protest and seeking…"

Suddenly an expulsion was heard and the news feed was cut off. Rory glanced around but their seemed to be nothing wrong in their immediate area, the explosion happening closer to the middle of the city not where the reporters were stationed.

"What happened?" Rory asked. "Are we still broadcasting?"

"No we lost connection immediately," A technician said from the van. The producer was on the phone but avoiding looking at everyone else.

"Can we get back on?" Rory asked.

"Maybe, but they would have cut to the footage we sent of the interviews. It's a quick news program, if delays happen they move on to plan b quickly," the technician explained.

Rory ran over to the producer. "I need to be back on air," She said urgently.

The producer barely looked her way, Rory would not be ignored.

"Look, I get that I'm not Richard Engel, I'm a newbie to broadcasting, but my family just heard an explosion and then lost sight of me, I NEED to be back on the news NOW!" Rory explained.

Thankfully the producer seemed to understand and continued to talk into the phone, "She wants back on, no she will not call him Mr. Williams again, oh Brian liked that, fine she will keep it short." He handed the phone to Rory, "Keep to just how we are all safe and that the explosion was set off by the protestors and how we don't think anyone was harmed."

Rory knew that she might not be reporting the truth but she needed to make sure the nation knew she was safe. She listened for her cue to talk.

"It would seem Ms. Gilmore is on the phone to give us an update on the unrest in Egypt after our lost connection."

"Thank you Mr. Williams, our crew is a safe distance from the explosion that knocked out our cameras. It appears that the explosion on the outskirts of Cairo and the initial reports are that no one was killed. Again our crew is all safe."

"Thank you Ms. Gilmore…"

The phone line died. Rory sighed in relief, hopefully her family did not turn off the TV.

**Thursday**

Thankfully Rory was able to make it back to her room before dawn and was able to get both phone and internet working. She called the newsroom in Paris, they wanted her to report back to them and then head to Italy for the assignment she was originally scheduled for on Friday. Meaning she had little time to shower and get to the airport. Before she logged off she checked her e-mail.

From: onehotoompaloompa

To:

Subject: THANK YOU

Send: Wednesday, 6:50 PM

THANK YOU! Thank you for calling back into the Nightly News. I know you probably had to put up a fight, well Luke said you would have too since they rarely go back to a story like they did. But I personally think Brian Williams liked you, he was so cute making his off hand jokes about being called Mr. Williams. You defiantly made an impression.

Call When You Can!

Your mother

Rory sighed with pleasure hopefully her mom remembered to DVR her first live broadcast.

From: tdugray

To:

Subject: Where are you?

Send: Wednesday, 10:03 PM

Mary,

Where are you?

T

Rory was puzzled by Tristan's short response. She was expecting more after he read the first draft. It was her sophomore year in a nut shell, including all the regrets and should haves. Some of which she rectified while others she made worse. Like she told him he was still a jerk but it did not show herself in the best of light either. She sent him an equally quick reply on how she was leaving Cairo for Paris and hoped to be in Rome by Friday morning. And then she was off.

**Friday**

Rory was tired, like couldn't pick her head off the bed tired. She arrived in Rome late and crashed hopping to meeting up with sources around nine am. At the rate she was feeling at seven she would be lucky to make it anywhere by nine. Coffee was needed. She slowly stood and dressed just enough to be able to go lobby area of the small inn she was staying at. As she descended the stairs she heard a commotion, well it was probably just a conversation but in her exhausted brain in seemed like a commotion.

"I'm sorry my Italian is rusty but her friend says this is where she stays so will you please look again for a Rory Gilmore?"

"I'm sorry but there is no Rory Gilmore here," the kind owner was trying to explain to the blonde man arguing with him.

"You're asking for the wrong name, try Lorelai Hayden," Rory said calmly from the stairs. "I hope you have coffee." She walked slowly back up the stairs assuming that Tristan would follow.

Tristan was not overly surprised to see her, after all Finn had reassured him that this was the inn she stayed at in Rome. The owner handed him a try of four coffees, obviously aware of how much coffee a Gilmore or rather a Hayden drinks. Neither commented on their previous argument as Tristan headed for the stairs. He found her waiting outside a door and motioned him to enter as she grabbed a coffee.

She took a deep breath and then a drink, Tristan swore she looked like the drink alone was saving her life.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up, I figured you saw the News and was worried," She said calmly as she took a seat on her unmade bed and he sat in the chair by the desk.

Tristan ran a hand through his hair. Now that she was in front of him all in one piece, except for a gash on her head, he lost some of the urgency he had felt since Wednesday night.

"What happened to your forehead?" Tristan asked having to hold his own cup of coffee to keep from touching her injury.

Rory smiled, "Turns out the NBC producer has a thing for throwing things, microphones, telephones, clip boards. I should have paid better attention in P.E." Tristan sighed in relief. Rory was left wondering why he was here. "You could have just called or asked me to call you, you didn't have to fly to Italy." She tried to sound reassuring even though she wasn't sure why or what he needed to be reassured of.

Tristan shook his head in the negative, "No I needed to see you for myself. Finn told me what inn you stay at, but failed to mention the name thing."

"That's because I tend to change names, keeps everyone on their toes."

"You have a lot of followers seeking you out in Italy?"

"No I think I use different name to remind me that no matter what name I am using I am still me, Rory Gilmore from Stars Hollow." She shrugged and continued sipping her coffee, it was thankfully working magic on her sleepy brain. "So…"

"I read the draft," he said blankly.

"I gathered as much."

"And then you were on TV and the explosion, and well I didn't want it to end that way."

"The explosion was not near me, I was fine the entire time. Well except from the crazy producer," she said with a smile and light touch to her gashed head.

"I know, I knew it then, it's just I think, no I hope, well I was wondering…" he trailed off in fractionation.

"You want to get you Mary," she filled in for him.

Tristan's head had been down but hearing her words and overwhelming joy came over him. She hadn't agreed to anything but the way she said that one thought reminded him of high school. When he looked up at her his cocky smirk was easily placed on his face.

"Yeah bible boy wants a chance with his Mary."

"Just because you flew from New York to Italy to ask me out does not mean I am going to say yes," Rory said calmly finding her coffee cup suddenly very interesting.

Tristan stood, knelled in front of her and drew her attention to him, "I didn't expect you to say yes because I flew over four thousand miles, I'm hoping you will say yes because of what you wrote almost four years ago."

"Tris the piano scene is just…" Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Not the piano scene," she gave him a doubting look. He chuckled, "Well not just the piano scene, though we will need to discuss that sometime," he raised an eyebrow while she found the curtains suddenly interesting. "You know I read the book, Finn has this thing about sending me his latest loves, you had him pinned by the way. Finn and I might not be best friends but like he said we have known each other forever and have this strange habit of exchanging things we enjoy. When he started sending me the books I just rolled my eyes and threw them on my bookshelf, and then the third book arrived and it grabbed my attention. I think it was the picture."

Rory knew what picture he was referring too, it was of her though you could just barely tell. It was taken when she was hiding out in her grandpa's office trying to get caught up on the Chilton reading list. She was wearing her uniform, sitting sideways in a chair, her saddle shoes swinging to unheard music while she rested a large tome of a book on her bent legs. Finn came across it on one of his trips to Stars Hallow and claimed it had to be used for 'The New Girl'. The Plaids front cover art was all similar, a girl standing in a plaid skirt, but the back art depicted the main characters true self. The first girl Lauren was outside in a rose garden writing, the second girl was playing away on a cello, their hobbies if you were. Rory reluctantly agreed and the pictures background was altered for it to look like it was in a library and not an office and ta-da not only was the third book based on the author it also showed her on the back cover.

"After I read the first chapter I had to start at the beginning. I didn't think you knew how close I was to Madeline, Louise, and Paris, but you wrote a great extent of the essence of our lives of their stories and I was just amazed." He faltered slightly with the explanation of his fist impressions of the stories. "I didn't know who wrote the series, I ultimately figured it was Paris," he said with a shrug. "But when you walked into Colin's office it all started to click, who else would have known about the piano, I mean what are the odds of someone guessing our first and well only kiss happening in a music room," he laughed slightly at the thought of Paris writing that scene. "It was the ending, you didn't end it the way it really happened."

"Finn said Rachel couldn't say I hate Darien and go back to John, it didn't make good romance," Rory said quietly.

Tristan laughed quietly, "Did you tell him how that is what happened, good romance or not?"

Rory was still looking at the curtains, "You read the first draft."

Tristan dropped one of her hands he had been holding and turned her face to look him the eyes, "You had me punching him, is that what you want to happen, for me to fight for you?"

Rory looked him in the eyes, "I didn't know what I want then but when I typed that last scene I suddenly remember briefly thinking how much easier it all would have been if you stopped letting me choose him. You wanted me so bad and yet when you finally almost had a chance you let me stand there and claim to hate you and go back to him." Rory sighed and briefly glanced at the coffee cups still waiting in the tray before looking back at him, "You did it again which only made it worse."

Tristan was confused, he remembered the day she said she hated him and remembered clearly wanting to fight for her but she was to quick to run back into Dean's waiting arms. He did not remember a second time. "When?"

"Romeo and Juliet, you said you would kiss me if my boyfriend wasn't watching. Why didn't you just kiss me?"

"I was leaving, it wouldn't have been fair to kiss and run. Only one of us should have that privilege," he said with a small smirk. He let go of her hand and face and reached to the remaining coffee handing her one as he took a drink of his own and moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Do you ever wish we could go back and do it all again, only knowing what we know now?"

Rory laughed, "Obviously, I'm writing a series of books doing just that."

Tristan joined her laughter at his own stupid question. When their shared joy quieted he went back to his original explanation, "That's why I'm here. You get to write about our past and I'm taking your cues and fighting for our chance now."

"Your chance to be with your Mary."

"And your chance to be with the King of Chilton, the Spawn of Satan, Bible Boy, Tristan Dugray."

**Three Months later**

"Mom I have to go," Rory said exasperated with her mother's delay tactics.

"You said I could help you get ready," Lorelai whined from the skype window on Rory's computer.

"And you did, now Tris is going to be here soon and I don't want to have to explain why we can't leave until we hang up."

"But I want to see bible boy and now that you are in New York I will never get to see either of you, and…"

"Well you don't need to see us tonight we are going to Hartford this weekend. Now goodbye." Rory turned off the computer screen as she heard her door buzz. She quickly told him she would meet him down stairs as she grabbed her purse and locked her door.

As she excited the elevators she saw that he was dressed in dress pants, a navy blue button down shirt and black tie. She dressed in a surprisingly matching blue dress. "Were you watching me get dress?"

"No, but I did get this strange text telling me what to wear," He said winking at her. As she placed her hand in his elbow he kissed her cheek and whispered how beautiful she looked.

When they walked outside a black town car was waiting to drive them to their destination.

Rory cocked an eyebrow at him, "What no limo?"

"I didn't want to seem too overconfident, but I don't have a car in the city either and I don't want to trust our evening to a taxi."

Rory shrugged and entered the car, "You know a PJ Harvey concert alone makes you seem too overconfident. I mean seriously the same first date you offered all those years ago?"

Tristan smiled smugly. It might have taken them three months of e-mails, texts and phone calls, and ultimately Rory being stationed out of New York, but he was finally taking his Mary, his Rory, on a first date.

"If you would like to revisit the Piano Scene that was my first option."

"You are not allowed to mention the piano scene until our…fifth date," Rory said confidently

"So there is going to be a fifth date?!"

"Watch it bible boy."

"I would rather watch you Mary."

Rory just shook her head, "A boy and his Mary."

Tristan pulled her close to his side and kissed the side of her forehead, "What did I tell you about being romantic and how a boy should always get his Mary?"

* * *

**A.N.** And that is the end! (as previously stated) This story started with a scene, then a picture, and then me screaming what about the end…for a week, and then I wrote it 14 pages in 24 hours (would have been faster but I had somewhere to go) …and then I screamed that doesn't make since for a day…and then the remaining eight pages just flowed out. So can you guess the scene and the picture?

(tease) I'm thinking about writing the piano scene!


End file.
